Ketchup from McLeod Ganj

All the difficulties have ensued since arriving back here in McLeod Ganj.

I survived a mildew attack, but it did mean hand-washing all the bedding and throwing out one of the pillows. My mobile had been cut-off and needed recharging, the promise of a faster Internet connection has failed to materialise and so I plod on with my slow, unreliable, over-priced Reliance dongle.

Worse still was to come as I was forced to open up the kitchen sink pipe to see what was causing a blockage. After 10 minutes of blowing, wiggling and water enema, I lobbed down an old shaver. Out dropped a small, dead rodent of mouse or vole-like appearance. I dry-gagged all the way to the balcony with the drowned rodent in a wrapped up tissue. It received a sky burial – of sorts.

The monsoon persists, although it is usually quite clear for a few hours each day and night. In other parts of India, water remains critically in short supply due to the water shortage, resulting in hunger and high suicide rates amongst despairing farmers. It is believed more than 1.5 million farmers have killed themselves since 1997.

An interesting article on farmer suicides from India Together can be found by clicking here.

It should be made a national priority and remain in the government´s domain rather than privatisation as the way forward. This seems considerably unlikely however, as the government are quick to pass the buck. The damage done by privatisation has been well documented by the political activist, writer and Chomskyite, Arundhati Roy.

A lot seems to have happened here in my absence. The McClo´s restaurant (as recommended by Lonely Planet and Pierce Bronson), a Dharamsala institution has changed ownership and now offers a much depleted menu, but at least it has kept on the same serving staff.

The public library has been turned into a new restaurant and relocated? I certainly can´t find it! As recipients of all books I finish reading here they have an awesome collection. I´ve already got a new pile waiting for them.

One person to ask would be Lobsang – my editor from Contact magazine, but worryingly he is currently in hospital “for tests”.

I have also yet to catch up with Panden, my English student, despite trying to leave messages oh his mobile. I miss our twice weekly classes.

Trying to settle into a proper routine has been challenging whilst my sleeping patterns remain erratic.

Having had a massive all-round scrub of the bed-sit, I have subsequently turned it into the Oxford Brookes library with papers and documents scattered about as endeavour to write a 2000 word (expanding to 6,000 words for the thesis) literary review. I´ll shortly put up a posting about the thesis I´m working on – it´s one of the most asked questions I receive from readers of Ketchup with Aubs.

The new banjo-playing neighbour is not helping matters.

Eye and Lens on the Village

playing in aggregates - near the new bus stand